Yellow Ducks
by Tronic
Summary: He was so small, he was so weak, he was so powerless.. he was just born. Happy early 21st Birthday, Itachi!


**Yellow Ducks**

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Naruto.

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A long, white curtain fluttered over beams of sunlight radiating in the hospital room through an open window, bright, comforting ribbons of sheer light that no cloud could obscure. The day was warm and pleasant, and smelled of fresh and newly born blossoms. Sakura petals littered the ground below the window, brushing the soft blades of grass and kissing them with pink lips. Birds sang as they passed the window, sounding and welcoming the arrival of a new life and congratulating the efforts of a very tired, very happy young woman.

The woman was held by no bone in her body. The sheets, the mattress, the pillows and her own will to stay awake were the only things taping her eyelids open. Her weary eyelids that refused to look away from the tiny, fragile life in her impossibly exahusted arms. Somehow, she found the strength that only a mother would have, the strength to hold the child for as long as he needed to be cradled.

She sighed with all the happiness in the world, even with the incredible sags under her eyes from the long, painful labor, she just couldn't take them off of him. Her finger traveled silently to his cheek and brushed it ever so gently, causing him to curl his fingers around thin air.

He was so small.

He was so powerless and weak...

He was just a tiny infant.

She secretly wanted him to stay that way forever. _No, don't be tainted, please, I'll do everything I can to make sure that you will be a happy child and you and your father have a wonderful relationship. That you will love life and cherish every moment... That you will always love me and will be with me, even when I die, while I smile and tell you what a wonderful son you were and how you made my life complete and whole._

These thoughts fluttered through her mind until they hit her eyes and caused a very small trickle of tears to slip down, tears that curved her cheeks and accented her smile.

She would forever remember this moment. Remember this happiness.

And the man that gave her this happiness...

Her soft lips that had kissed that man a thousand times made contact with the hour-old infant's ash-black hair for the millionth time. If it weren't for that man, she wouldn't have this happiness. She wouldn't have this new, soft little head to kiss and cuddle.

Her tired fingers removed a small strand from the infant's view. His eyelashes kissed his cheeks a few times, and his sleepy, onyx eyes touched his mother's stare.

Before another happy tear could swim down her cheek, the jiggling of the hospital room's door knob alerted her and she tried to perk up the best she could.

_Please don't be a nurse._

A yellow petal peaked out from behind the door, and then another and another. Then pink petals and flourishing, happy Spring colors in a neat bundle stuck out playfully. Where these flowers teasing her?

She didn't think it was possible, but her smile grew even more. _This **better** not be a nurse._ She almost chuckled.

To top it all off was a soft-looking, pastel purple ribbon that completed the peace. Under the ribbon was a dark-toned hand, with a few wrinkles of wear and tear carving into it.

/Definitely not a nurse./ Her smile never left. In fact, in might have gotten deeper as she recognized that hand. That had had touched her cheeks, been run through her hair and caressed her pain away more times than she could count.

"Daddy's here." A brown-haired man smiled almost uncharacteristically, a somewhat amused yet nervous blush burned his cheeks but was barely seen.

"Mommy's been waiting." She teased, full of excitment at those words that felt so new on her tongue.

Fugaku smiled. He was so impatient to be closer to his wife and new son that the gray hospital tiles felt like walking fifty miles before he finally reached them and placed the bouquet on the table near by.

"Flowers?" She inquired teasingly. "Oh, that's new." Her hand rubbed gently at the infant's tiny fingers.

"It was Yamanaka's idea." He felt somewhat embarrass. Even if they were madly in love and had been for a long time, presents never usually came until they were necessary or expected.

Then again, this was most likely one of those expected occasions.

Mikoto took in a healthy breath, refreshed by the smell of flowers that seemed to suddenly overcome the unpleasant scent of hospital and whatever drugs they pumped into her. Fugaku smiled as well, studying her peaceful expression.

The new father glanced down at his wife in a kind of puppy-pouting "may I?" fashion that begged to let him hold the infant. He'd only held the boy for a few minutes before being called off to sign some paperwork, and figured that would have been a good time to surprise his wife with a colorful gift.

Mikoto's first reaction seemed to melt from "No way he's mine you can't have him" into "alright but be super duper careful". And that was plainly visible on her face. It was as if they were speaking in some kind of secret facial expression language that only they knew, and the thought caused Fugaku to grin as the tired woman held up the child slowly and carefully, making sure there wasn't even a millisecond where he would be in even the slightest amount of danger.

Fugaku's fingers curled protectively around the baby's soft, blue blanket which happened to be accented with thin, dark-blue stitches and imprints of tiny chibi ducks. His hands were so big compared to the child, he was tempted to compare their hand sizes already. The boy probably couldn't even wrap both of his hands around his father's thumb.

"I've decided on a name." Mikoto's tired voice seemed to be injected with the fluid of life again, as she searched her husband's face.

"He doesn't look like a 'Sasuke' to me." Fugaku immediately declared and blinked, soaking in every detail about his son and his face and everything about him.

He really didn't look like a 'Sasuke'... Fugaku knew how much his wife adored this name but he just wasn't a Sasuke.

The woman surprised her husband, "That's why we're naming him Itachi."

The new father tilted his head in a silent moment of amusement. "/Itachi/..." He played with the word on his tongue while gently cradling the boy. "Where'd you come up with that?" He seemed to like the name, but was curious none the less.

The woman's eyes closed and re-opened slowly, and her finger that was taped with a white plug and tube sticking through it pointed to a small, yellow card that had been placed on her able hours ago by the Nara wife who unfortunately had to leave without witnessing the birth, mentioning something about nagging her men when she returned home.

Fugaku blinked and visually studied the card. Once he got a better look, he realized there was a message on the paper object and a silly looking animal with round ears and a tail was connected to the words by a speech bubble.

It read, "Hope your kid doesn't turn out to be a weasel."

The room was completely silent.

Until the baby sneezed.

Mikoto and Fugaku's eyes both fell onto the baby boy, whole smiles touching their lips and picking at the most sensitive parts of their brows.

The Uchiha man took a few moments to hush his son's whimpers and wipe away the tiny speckles of what was his very first sneeze before answering his wife. "Uchiha Itachi."

Mikoto grinned. "Our son."

Fugaku stole a glance from his wife and confirmed it, "Our son, Uchiha Itachi, the greatest man this world will see." He felt so proud in that instant. He just wanted to lift up Itachi in Lion King style over a crowd of thousands of people and brag about his son and how his son was the greatest son a father could hope for.

Mikoto's eyelids finally collapsed, but she was fully concious and able to speak. Her fingers picked at each other over the empty space in her lap and a tangled, pink blanket. Her tongue finding it difficult to form her emotions into words.

"I just want him to be the best _he_ can be." She said with a simple smile.

Fugaku agreed equally with an unseen nod. His tar-stained glare tickled the newly named Itachi, as the boy's feet wiggled weakly and he felt the sudden urge to grip his father's finger that was just beneath his chin. _Maybe he's ticklish._ The man thought with a curl to his lips, admiring the boy's strength.

After a long, peaceful silence, Fugaku noticed his wife stir, and an evil thought suddenly swam into his mind.

"We'll name the next one Sasuke."

Mikoto's eyes popped open. Just the _thought_ of having to go through child birth again brought back recently made, horrid memories of incredible pain. "I'm never going through this horrible trauma again!" She half-joked, and felt like tossing a pillow at her husband but remembered that that would be a bad idea, seeing the baby in his arms.

Soft laughs escaped the hospital room and nearly made it out into the hallway, as the couple inside soaked in the glow of this date. June 9th, the day they're family took it's first step towards becoming whole.

It felt whole now. But the feeling of being complete- this sensation would only radiate stronger five years later. When Mikoto would see her first son's eyes light up at the news of his new brother, and when Sasuke would bring smiles back to Itachi's face after so long.

When Itachi would give his life to Sasuke, devote everything to him and protect him. She just had no idea how their brotherhood would eventually end.

The only thing she knew now, was that life was perfect, and for 13 more precious years, it would remain that way.

* * *

Le Endu-

Yes, by "Yamanaka" he was referring to Ino's dad. ;3

Weasels are supposedly an omen of bad things to come or bad luck in Japanese folklore, from what I've heard. So what the card meant was, "Hope you're kid isn't a cursed little wretch." And I know you know this but Itachi means weasel.. o 3o

I wasn't going to add a melancolic ending but felt I had to. It's about Itachi, after all. And if you don't want to be spoiled further then I suggest you stop reading right _**now**_.

Happy Birthday, Itachi. On what would have been your 21st birthday. You died a criminal but lived as a hidden hero.

You deserve to have your image carved on the Hokage monument.

We'll continue to celebrate your birthday every year, until we grow out of the Naruto obsession (yeah right ;D) or the world ends.

Much love, Tronic.


End file.
